What Is The Latest Version Of Windows Media Player

Media actor and media library application past Microsoft

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Role player 12 running on Windows 8
Developer(s)	Microsoft

Stable release	12.0.22000.194 (October 4, 2021; 6 months agone (2021-10-04)) [±]
Preview release	12.0.22567.ane (March 2, 2022; 47 days ago (2022-03-02)) [±]

Operating system	Windows NT four.0 Mac OS 7 Mac Os X Solaris
Included with	Windows 3.0 MM and Windows iii.1 Windows 9x Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows eight.1, Windows ten, Windows xi (nevertheless available)^[a] Windows CE and Windows Mobile Mac Bone 8 and 9
Predecessor	ActiveMovie Control, CD Player, DVD Player (Win32 version)
Successor	Microsoft Movies & Tv, Groove Music
Type	Media player
Website	windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/windows-media-player

Windows Media Thespian (WMP) is a media role player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating organization, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. Editions of Windows Media Player were also released for classic Mac Bone, Mac Os X and Solaris but evolution of these has since been discontinued.

In addition to being a media player, Windows Media Player includes the power to rip music from and re-create music to compact discs, burn down recordable discs in Audio CD format or equally data discs with playlists such as an MP3 CD, synchronize content with a digital sound thespian (MP3 thespian) or other mobile devices, and enable users to purchase or rent music from a number of online music stores.

Windows Media Player 11 is available for Windows XP and included in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The default file formats are Windows Media Video (WMV), Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Advanced Systems Format (ASF), and its own XML based playlist format called Windows Playlist (WPL). The player is also able to utilize a digital rights management service in the form of Windows Media DRM.

Windows Media Player 12 is the most recent version of Windows Media Thespian prior to Windows 11. It was released on October 22, 2009, along with Windows 7^[b] and has not been made available for previous versions of Windows nor has it been updated since for Windows 8, Windows 8.i, Windows 10, and Windows 11.^[2] ^[3] Windows 8 and later instead utilize Groove Music (for audio) and Microsoft Movies & Tv (for video) every bit the default playback applications for near media; Equally of October 2021, Windows Media Player is even so included as a Windows component. Windows RT does non run Windows Media Player.

On Nov 16, 2021, Microsoft announced that it would replace Groove Music with the new Media Histrion application, though the legacy Windows Media Histrion will continue to be included with Windows 11.^[4]

History [edit]

The first version of Windows Media Thespian appeared in 1991, when Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions was released.^[5] Originally called Media Player, this component was included with "Multimedia PC"-uniform machines but not available for retail sale. It was capable of playing .mmm blitheness files, and could exist extended to support other formats.^[6] It used MCI to handle media files. Beingness a component of Windows, Media Actor shows the same version number as that of the version Windows with which information technology was included.

Microsoft continually produced new programs to play media files. In November of the following year, Video for Windows was introduced with the ability to play digital video files in an AVI container format,^[7] with codec support for RLE and Video1, and support for playing uncompressed files. Indeo 3.2 was added in a later release. Video for Windows was beginning available every bit a gratuitous addition to Windows iii.1, and after integrated into Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0. In 1995, Microsoft released ActiveMovie with DirectX Media SDK. ActiveMovie incorporates a new way of dealing with media files, and adds support for streaming media (which the original Media Player could non handle). In 1996, ActiveMovie was renamed DirectShow.^[viii] However, Media Role player continued to come with Windows until Windows XP, in which it was officially renamed Windows Media Player v5.1.^[9] ("v5.one" is the version number of Windows XP.)

In 1999, Windows Media Player'south versioning broke away from that of Windows itself. Windows Media Role player six.4 came as an out-of-band update for Windows 95-98 and Windows NT 4.0 that co-existed with Media Player and became a built-in component of Windows 2000, Windows ME and Windows XP with an mplayer2.exe stub allowing to use this congenital-in instead of newer versions.^[ten] Windows Media Player 7.0 and its successors also came in the same way, replacing each other but leaving Media Histrion and Windows Media Player 6.iv intact. Windows XP is the only operating organization to have iii dissimilar versions of Windows Media Role player (v5.1, v6.iv and v8) side by side. All versions branded Windows Media Player (instead of but Media Actor) support DirectShow codecs. Windows Media Player version vii was a large revamp, with a new user interface, visualizations and increased functionality. Windows Vista, nevertheless, dropped older versions of Windows Media Player in favor of v11, which included the removal of the Windows Media Source Filter (DirectShow codec).

In 2004 Microsoft launched digital music store MSN Music for new Windows Media Actor 10 to compete with Apple iTunes.^[eleven] ^[12] All the same, MSN Music was discontinued already in 2006 with the launch of Zune music players.^[13]

Beginning with Windows Vista, Windows Media Player supports the Media Foundation framework besides DirectShow; as such it plays certain types of media using Media Foundation also as some types of media using DirectShow.^[14] Windows Media Thespian 12 was released with Windows 7. It included support for more than media formats and added new features. With Windows 8, however, the player did not receive an upgrade.

On April sixteen, 2012, Microsoft appear that Windows Media Role player would non be included in Windows RT, the line of Windows designed to run on ARM-based devices.^[fifteen]

Windows 11 [edit]

Media Role player is the successor to Groove Music for Windows ten (previously Xbox Music) and Windows Media Player. It started to be offered to all Windows eleven users on February 15, 2022. ^[16]

The new Media Player can also play video, as part of Groove's rebranding from a music streaming service to a media histrion.^[17] Other changes include the album cover view being in fullscreen, and a refresh to the mini player.^[xviii] Accessibility has also been optimized, with some improved keyboard shortcuts and hotkey support for keyboard users and with other assistive technologies.^[19]

Features [edit]

Cadre playback and library functions [edit]

Windows Media Player supports playback of audio, video and pictures, along with fast forrard, reverse, file markers (if present) and variable playback speed (seek & time pinch/dilation introduced in WMP 9 Serial). It supports local playback, streaming playback with multicast streams and progressive downloads. Items in a playlist can be skipped over temporarily at playback time without removing them from the playlist. Full keyboard-based operation is possible in the player.

Windows Media Player supports full media management, via the integrated media library introduced first in version 7, which offers cataloguing and searching of media and viewing media metadata. Media tin be arranged according to anthology, artist, genre, appointment et al. Windows Media Player 9 Series introduced Quick Admission Panel to browse and navigate the entire library through a card. The Quick Admission Console was also added to the mini mode in version 10 simply was entirely removed in version xi. WMP 9 Series also introduced ratings and Auto Ratings. Windows Media Player 10 introduced back up for accumulation pictures, Recorded Television receiver shows, and other media into the library. A fully featured tag editor was featured in versions nine-11 of WMP, called the Advanced Tag Editor. Even so, the feature was removed in Windows Media Player 12. Since WMP 9 Series, the actor features dynamically updated Auto Playlists based on criteria. Auto Playlists are updated every time users open them. WMP nine Series and later too supports Auto Ratings which automatically assigns ratings based on the number of times a song is played. Pre-populated auto playlists are included in Windows Media Role player 9 Series. Custom Machine Playlists tin be created only on Windows XP and later.

In Windows Media Role player xi, the Quick Access Panel was removed and replaced with an Explorer-style navigation pane on the left which can be customized for each library to show the user selected media or metadata categories, with contents appearing on the right, in a graphical manner with thumbnails featuring album art or other fine art depicting the item. Missing album art can be added directly to the placeholders in the Library itself (though the program re-renders all anthology art imported this way into 1x1 pixel ratio, 200x200 resolution jpegs). There are separate Tiles, Icons, Details or Extended Tiles views for Music, Pictures, Video and Recorded Television receiver which tin be set individually from the navigation bar. Entries for Pictures and Video show their thumbnails. Version 11 too introduced the ability to search and display results on-the-fly as characters are being entered, without waiting for Enter key to exist hit. Incremental search results are refined based on further characters that are typed. Stacking allows graphical representations of how many albums there are in a specific category or folder. The pile appears larger as the category contains more albums. The Listing pane includes an pick to prompt the user to remove items skipped in a playlist upon save or skip them only during playback.

Visualizations [edit]

Windows Media Actor 11 running in mini mode (in Windows XP MCE) showing the "Bars and Waves" visualization

While playing music, Windows Media Player tin show visualizations. The current three visualizations are Abracadabra, which was beginning introduced in version 9, Bars and Waves, which has been used since version 7, and Battery, introduced version 8. "Musical Colors" was removed starting with version 9, only is retained if Windows Media Player was upgraded from version 7 or viii. Version xi and higher up refrains from having the onetime "Ambience", "Particle", "Plenoptic", and "Spikes" visualizations. The "Battery" visualization was similarly removed in later editions of version 12. The reason for their removal was that the visualizations do not back up full screen controls (either the visualization gets shifted to the left while there is a thick black bar to the right side of the screen, that at that place are no full screen controls, or that the visualization have DXE Issues). More visualizations such as "BlazingColors", "ColorCubes", "Softie the Snowman," and "Yule Log" used to be downloadable still, the downloads from Microsoft's website have by and large been taken down and it's available on the WMP Goodies site.

Format back up [edit]

The player includes intrinsic back up for Windows Media codecs and also WAV and MP3 media formats. On Windows XP and higher up with WMP 9 Series and afterwards, the Windows Media Audio Professional codec is included which supports multichannel sound at up to 24-bit 192 kHz resolution. Windows Media Histrion xi includes the Windows Media Format 11 runtime which adds low bitrate support (below 128 kbit/s for WMA Pro), support for ripping music to WMA Pro x and updates the original WMA to version ix.2.^{[ citation needed ]}

Support for any media codec and container format can exist added using specific DirectShow filters or Media Foundation codecs (Media Foundation codecs only in Windows Vista and later). The role player will non play MP3 files that contain compressed ID3 headers ("tags"); trying to exercise so results in a "The input media file is invalid" fault message. MP3 playback back up was congenital-in beginning with version 6.ane and audio CD playback was natively supported with version vii.^{[ citation needed ]}

DVD playback features minus the necessary decoders were integrated into Windows Media Player viii for Windows XP. The player activates DVD and Blu-ray playback functionality with support for menus, titles and chapters, parental controls and sound track language selection if compatible decoders are installed. MPEG-two and Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoders were included beginning with Windows Media Actor eleven on Windows Vista (Home Premium and Ultimate editions simply).^{[ citation needed ]}

Windows Media Player 12 adds native support for H.264 and MPEG-4 Part 2 video formats, ALAC, AAC sound^[xx] and 3GP^{[ clarification needed got no codec available for 3GP]}, MP4 and MOV container formats.^[21] Windows Media Player 12 is besides able to play AVCHD formats (.M2TS and .mts).^[22]

As of Windows 10, Windows Media Thespian 12 can play FLAC, HEVC, and SubRip subtitle, and Matroska container formats.^{[ citation needed ]}

Although the WebM file type is not associated with Windows Media Player 12 officially (the default player is Microsoft Movies & TV), playback of VP9 video in WebM container on Windows Media Player is possible on Windows 10 version 1809 and later.^{[ citation needed ]}

Windows Media Player Mobile [edit]

Windows Media Player Mobile 10 on Windows Mobile 6.five supports MP3, ASF, WMA and WMV using WMV or MPEG-4 codecs.^[23]

Disc called-for, ripping, and playback [edit]

Windows Media Thespian features integrated Audio CD-burning support since version 7 as well as data CD called-for support since Windows Media Thespian 9 Serial on Windows XP and later. Data CDs can have whatever of the media formats supported by the player. While burning Information CDs, the media can, optionally, be transcoded into WMA format and playlists tin be added to the CD as well. Starting with WMP 9 Serial, audio CDs tin exist burnt with volume leveling.

Audio CDs tin be ripped every bit WMA or WMA 10 Pro (WMA 10 Pro in WMP xi and subsequently) at 48, 64, 96, 128, 160 and 192 kbit/s, WMA lossless (470 to 940 kbit/s) (9 Series on XP and later), WMA variable bitrate (from twoscore to 75 kbit/s upwards to 240-355 kbit/due south), MP3 at 128, 192, 256 and 320 kbit/due south, or uncompressed WAV (WAV ripping in WMP xi and subsequently). Since WMP nine Serial, 20 bit loftier-resolution CDs (HDCDs) are also supported, if capable audio hardware is nowadays. Audio tin exist ripped using error correction and ripped audio can be protected with Windows Media DRM. Ripping to MP3 is supported only in Windows Media Player 8 for Windows XP and afterwards if a uniform MP3 encoder is installed. Windows Media Role player 10 included the Fraunhofer MP3 Professional encoder. Information on CDs such every bit album proper name, creative person and rail listings tin can optionally be automatically downloaded from the online Windows Media database when the CD is inserted. Version xi added support for ripping audio CDs to WAV and WMA ten Pro formats. With their 2015 implementation in Windows ten, Version 12 also added lossless FLAC and ALAC formats for ripping and playback. For burning, version 11 shows a graphical bar indicating how much space will be used on the disc and introduced Disc spanning which splits a fire listing onto multiple discs in case the content does not fit on one disc.

Portable device sync [edit]

Windows Media Player allows the user to connect, share and sync data with portable handheld devices and game consoles since version 7. Media tin be optionally transcoded to a format ameliorate suited for the target device, automatically, when synchronizing. When deleting playlists from devices, Windows Media Player can automatically remove their contents. Devices can exist formatted using Windows Media Actor 9 Serial and later. Version ten and subsequently support the Media Transfer Protocol and Automobile Sync. Auto Sync allows users to specify criteria such as recently added music or highest rated songs, by which media will be automatically synchronized with the portable device and other avant-garde features like setting the clock on the portable device automatically, communicating with the device to retrieve the user'due south preferences. Windows Media Player 10 also introduced the UMDF-based Windows Portable Devices API.

Version 11 has improved synchronization features for loading content onto PlaysForSure-compatible portable players. WMP 11 supports reverse-synchronization, past which media present on the portable device can be replicated dorsum to the PC. Shuffle Sync can exist used to randomize content synced with the portable device, Multi PC Sync to synchronize portable device content across multiple PCs and Guest Sync to synchronize unlike content from multiple PCs with the portable device. Portable devices announced in the navigation pane of the library where their content can be browsed and searched.

Windows Media Player's 'Sync' function has options that let it to be prepare to automatically down-convert (transcode) high bit-charge per unit vocal files to a lower flake-rate. This downwardly-conversion function is switched on past default. This is useful for providing low scrap-rate files to those portable devices that demand them, and to relieve space on portable devices with smaller storage capacities. For high bit-rate capable devices with sufficient storage capabilities, the downwardly conversion process tin be omitted.

In versions 11 (2006) and 12 (2009), the Quality settings that the user has selected in the Windows Media Player settings for Sync, for that specific portable device, are used to control the quality (flake-rate) of files that are copied to the portable device. Leaving the Quality settings to Automated will often event in 192kbs files being copied to the portable device. Manual settings tin too be made. 192kbs is the highest quality down-conversion bit-rate that can be manually selected when the Sync role'due south downwardly-conversion function is turned on. Lower scrap-rates can likewise be selected.

For portable devices that can handle high bit-charge per unit files, the best quality files are obtained by leaving the down-conversion process switched off (unchecked) for that specific device. In Windows Media Thespian Version 11, switching off the down-conversion function is washed in the Quality tab of the Advanced Options of the Sync settings for the device. In Windows Media Player Version 12, switching off the down-conversion role is done in the Quality tab of the Properties for the device in the Select Settings for the device in the Sync Options carte.

When set up in such a style, Windows Media Player'south 'Sync' office can exist used to sync unchanged high bit-rate song files to suitable portable devices (i.e. those capable of using file formats such as WMA Lossless, mp3-360kbs, etc.). For example, some users accept created large song libraries on their PCs containing .wma formatted vocal files using the high bit-charge per unit WMA Lossless (WMA-LL) protocol, or using other high flake-charge per unit song file formats. The WMA-LL protocol is selectable in Windows Media Actor as an option when ripping songs from CDs. The resulting bit-rates seen on ripped WMA-LL files are ofttimes three to half-dozen times higher than 192kbs, and can typically fall anywhere in the range of 600kbs to 1200kbs, depending on the quality of the source file that was present on the CD in the beginning place. The sound quality is much improved over the default rate, although the file size is larger.

At the time that Versions 11 and 12 were released, the capabilities and capacities of portable devices typically required downwards-conversion of the bit-rates of the files placed on the portable devices. Thus, Sync down-conversion was turned on by default. This was to ensure playability of the files and to ensure that the file sizes were small enough to efficiently fit a reasonably large selection of songs on the portable device.

In recent years (circa 2012), portable devices became available that could natively play these Windows Media Role player produced high bit-rate WMA-LL files (and others), and that have storage capacities suitable for large collections of high bit-rate song files. This fabricated it much more practicable and desirable to apply software programs such as Windows Media Player to synchronize previously PC-bound libraries of loftier flake-charge per unit songs to these new portable devices.

Enhanced playback features [edit]

Windows Media Player features universal effulgence, contrast, saturation and hue adjustments and pixel aspect ratio for supported video formats. It too includes a x-ring graphic equalizer with presets and SRS WOW audio post-processing system. Windows Media Player can also have attached audio and video DSP plug-ins which process the output audio or video data. Video Smoothing was introduced in WMP 9 Series (Windows XP and later simply) which upscales frame-rate past interpolating added frames, in effect giving a smoother playback on low-framerate videos. The actor supports subtitles and closed-captioning for local media, video on demand streaming or live streaming scenarios. Typically Windows Media captions back up the SAMI file format but can also acquit embedded closed caption data.

The player tin use video overlays or VMR (Video Mixing Renderer) surfaces, if the video bill of fare supports them. In Windows XP, it uses VMR7 by default, but tin can also be fabricated to use the more advanced YUV mixing mode past enabling the "Use high quality mode" option in Advanced Functioning settings. This turns on deinterlacing, scaling and improved color accurateness.^[24] WMP ix Series introduced native playback for deinterlacing for TV output. Version nine introduced DXVA accelerated playback. Version 11 introduced improved support for DirectX accelerated decoding of WMV video (DXVA decoding). Up to version eleven, it supported static lyrics and "Synchronized Lyrics", past which different lines of lyrics can be time-stamped, then that they brandish only at those times. Synchronized Lyrics also were accessible through the Advanced Tag Editor which was removed in version 12.

Since Windows Media Role player ix Serial, the player supports crossfading, sound dynamic range (Quiet Mode) for WMA Pro and WMA Lossless, and auto book leveling for sure media which includes book level/proceeds information such as MP3 or Windows Media. The histrion also supports all-encompassing configurable privacy and security settings.

Crush integration [edit]

The actor has Windows Explorer shell integration to add files and playlist to the At present Playing pane and other playlists can be controlled from the Windows Explorer shell itself, via right-click menu. The My Music folder too includes a separate My Playlists folder where playlists are maintained. When the player is closed and reopened, simply clicking the play button restores the last playlist even if it was not saved. Starting with Windows Media Player ten, the playlist pane is as well visible from the Library view. AutoPlay handlers in Windows expose various Windows Media Player tasks.

Windows Media Role player 11 running in mini mode in Windows Vista and Windows XP respectively. Notice the departure in the logo.

Up to version 11, information technology featured a taskbar-mounted Mini mode in which the most mutual media control buttons are presented as a toolbar on the Windows taskbar. Flyout windows tin display media information, the active visualization or the video being played back. Mini-mode was introduced as a shell player powertoy for Windows Media Player 8 in Windows XP and integrated after into WMP 9 Series. Mini-fashion has been removed in Windows Media Player 12 in favor of controls in the taskbar'south interactive thumbnail preview which lacks volume command, a progress bar and information displayed whenever a new song is played.

The user interface has been redesigned in Windows Media Player 12 such that the Now Playing view plays media in a separate minimalist window with floating playback controls, and also gives access to the current playlist, visualizations, and enhancements.^[xx] Enhancements are housed in individual undocked windows. The library view includes the rest of the media management functions. Information technology also can preview songs from the library when users hover over the media file and click the Preview push button.^[20] Windows Media Role player 12 can play unprotected songs from the iTunes library. The taskbar-integrated Mini-role player has been replaced with controls in the taskbar's interactive thumbnail preview (called the Thumbnail Toolbar),^[25] albeit minus the volume control part, track and album information shown whenever a new song is played and the progress bar. The taskbar icon also supports jump lists introduced in Windows vii.

The thumbnail viewer of Windows Media Player 12 in Windows 7 Home Premium

Extensibility [edit]

The actor has had skinning support since Windows Media Player (WMP) seven and includes a colour chooser since the WMP 9 Series. Not all functions are commonly exposed in skin mode. Windows Media Player 10 allows setting the video border color. Colour chooser has been removed in WMP 12. It supports visualizations and Info Center View (Info Eye View in WMP 9 Series and later on) which displays media metadata fetched from the internet. Full screen visualizations are supported in WMP 9 Serial and subsequently. It supports Background plug-ins, window plug-ins and At present Playing plug-ins to control media playback too DSP and renderer plug-ins. Plug-in back up was introduced in WMP 9 Series.

Online features [edit]

The player integrates spider web-browsing back up to browse online music stores, shop for music and melody to net radio stations since version 7. It provides an embeddable ActiveX command for Cyberspace Explorer so that developers can play Windows Media on spider web pages. Windows Media Role player 10 and later feature integration with a large number of online music stores and selecting a music store switches the Info Middle view, radio and other online features to use services from that shop. Purchased music from a item store appears in a separate library node under the corresponding category.

Media streaming [edit]

Previously, Microsoft had released Windows Media Connect for Windows XP to stream media content with its built-in UPnP media server. With version 11 of Windows Media Thespian, Media Sharing was integrated and allows content (Music, Pictures, Video) to exist streamed to and from Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) AV enabled devices such as the PS3, Xbox 360, and Roku SoundBridge. This includes DRM protected PlaysForSure content. WMP 11 on Windows Vista can as well act as a customer to connect to remote media libraries using this feature; this is not available on the Windows XP version.

With version 12, media streaming was further improved. While previous versions streamed media to UPnP compliant devices (Digital Media Server office) and could play media by fetching it from a network share (Digital Media Thespian role),^[26] Windows Media Player 12 can access media from the shared media libraries on the network or HomeGroup, stream media to DLNA i.5 compliant devices and allows itself (once the remote control option is turned on) to exist remotely controlled by Digital Media Controller devices which stream media (Digital Media Renderer function).^[26] Similarly, the Play To feature one time enabled for remote PCs, by turning on remote control of the player, allows compliant devices and computers to be discovered and controlled remotely from a computer running Windows Media Player 12 (Digital Media Controller office).^[26] If the devices practice not support the streamed format, Windows Media Player 12 transcodes the format on-the-fly. Media from a dwelling house network tin also be streamed over the internet using an Online ID Provider service, which handles discovery of the reckoner's IP address, say-so, security, connectivity and Quality of Service issues.^[26]

Skin Way [edit]

Windows Media Role player also features skins. Currently, Windows Media Player has two default skins: "Corporate", which was first introduced in version 8, and "Revert", which commencement shipped with version ix. In versions vii and 8, there were many unusual skins such as "Center", "Headspace", "Sail", "Goo", and "Atomic", which were removed starting with version 9, just are retained if the histrion is upgraded, although some can yet be downloaded from an archive of the Microsoft website.^[27] In versions vii, 8, 9 and 10 there were many usual skins such as "9SeriesDefault", "Atomic", "Bluesky", "Sheet", "Classic", "Compact", "goo", "Headspace", "center", "iconic", "Miniplayer", "Optic", "Pyrite", "QuickSilver", "Radio", "Roundlet", "Rusty", "splat", "Toothy", "Windows Archetype", and "Windows XP", which were removed starting with version eleven. This Corporate skin is not deletable.

Security bug [edit]

Microsoft Windows Media Runtime in Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server independent a bug that permitted "remote lawmaking execution if a user opened a specially crafted media file". Such a file would let the attacker to "then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights", if the account on which the file was played had administrator privileges.^[28] The problem was addressed in a disquisitional update issued on September eight, 2009.^[29]

Other versions [edit]

Microsoft has too released versions of Windows Media Role player for other platforms including Windows Mobile, classic Mac OS, Mac OS X, Palm-size PC, Handheld PC, and Solaris. Of these, only the Windows Mobile edition continues to exist actively developed and supported past Microsoft. Version 1 of the Zune software was also based on Windows Media Actor; later versions are non.

Windows Mobile [edit]

Windows Media Player x.3 Mobile on a Windows Mobile Professional person device

Windows Media Player for Pocket PC was first announced on Jan half dozen, 2000, and has been revised on a schedule roughly like to that of the Windows version.^[xxx] Currently known equally "Media Role player 10 Mobile", this edition (released in October 2004) closely resembles the capabilities of the Windows version of WMP 10, including playlist capabilities, a media library, album art, WMA Lossless playback, support for DRM-protected media, video playback at 640×480 with stereo sound, and the same Energy Blue interface aesthetics likewise seen in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. It likewise supports synchronization with the desktop version of WMP 10, and additionally supports synchronizing and transcoding of recorded television receiver shows from Media Center. Media Player 10 Mobile is non available as a download from Microsoft; distribution is done solely through OEM partners, and is typically included on devices based on Windows Mobile.

Windows Mobile 6 includes a re-create of Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, simply with a similar (only non quite identical) theme as Windows Media Thespian xi.

Mac OS Ten [edit]

Version 9 was the final version of Windows Media Player to be released for Mac OS X earlier development was canceled by Microsoft. Information technology was adult by the Windows Media team at Microsoft instead of the Macintosh Concern Unit and released in 2003. On release the application lacked many bones features that were plant in other media players such equally Apple'southward iTunes and QuickTime.^{[ citation needed ]} It also lacked support for many media formats that version 9 of the Windows counterpart supported on release 10 months earlier.

The Mac version supported simply Windows Media encoded media (upward to version 9) enclosed in the ASF format, lacking support for all other formats such every bit MP4, MPEG, and Microsoft'due south ain AVI format. On the user interface forepart, it did not prevent screensavers from running during playback, information technology did not support file drag-and-drop, nor did it support playlists. While Windows Media Player 9 had added support for some files that use the WMV9 codec (besides known as the WMV3 codec by the FourCC), in other aspects it was seen as having degraded in features from previous versions.

On January 12, 2006, Microsoft appear it had ceased development of Windows Media Player for Mac. Microsoft now distributes a third-party plugin chosen WMV Player (produced and maintained past Flip4Mac) which allows some forms of Windows Media to be played within Apple's QuickTime Actor and other QuickTime-aware applications.^[31]

European Commission case [edit]

In March 2004, the European Commission in the European Matrimony Microsoft antitrust case fined Microsoft €497 million and ordered the company to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player, claiming Microsoft "broke European Marriage competition law by leveraging its almost monopoly in the marketplace for PC operating systems onto the markets for piece of work group server operating systems and for media players". The company has made bachelor a compliant version of its flagship operating organization under the negotiated name "Windows XP North", though the product has not been very successful. Windows Vista, Windows seven and Windows 8 are besides bachelor in "North" editions. However, information technology is possible to either install Windows Media Actor (XP/Vista)^[32] or the Media Restore Pack through Windows Update (Vista) to add the media histrion.

Release history [edit]

Prior to the release of Windows Media Actor in Windows 98 Second Edition, divide programs, CD Histrion, Deluxe CD Role player, DVD Role player and Media Thespian, were included in old versions of Microsoft Windows for playback of media files.

Windows Media Player versions^[33]
Version	Original release	Included with	Available for
Microsoft Windows
Media Player	February 15, 2022	Windows xi	Due north/A
Windows Media Player 12	July 22, 2009	Windows 7 Windows viii Windows 8.1 Windows ten Windows 11 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2022	N/A
Windows Media Player 11	October xviii, 2006	Windows Vista Windows Server 2008	Windows XP (SP2+) Windows XP x64 Edition
Windows Media Player x	August 25, 2004	Windows XP x64 Edition Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Windows Server 2003 (SP1+)	Windows Server 2003 Windows XP^[34]
Windows Media Player nine Series	Oct 3, 2002^[35]	Windows XP (SP2+) Windows Server 2003 (RTM)	Windows XP Windows ME Windows 2000 Windows 98 SE^[36]
Windows Media Histrion for Windows XP (version viii)	August 24, 2001	Windows XP (RTM & SP1)	Northward/A
Windows Media Thespian vii.i	May sixteen, 2001	N/A	Windows ME Windows 2000 Windows 98^[36] ^[37]
Windows Media Thespian seven.0	June xix, 2000^[38]	Windows ME	Windows 2000 Windows 98 Windows 95
Windows Media Player 6.4 ^[c]	April 29, 1999	Windows 2000 Windows ME (subconscious) Windows XP (hidden) Windows Server 2003 (hidden) Net Explorer 5.01 Net Explorer 5.5 Internet Explorer 6.0	Windows 98 Windows NT 4.0 Windows 95
Windows Media Player 6.ane	October 1997	Windows 98 SE Internet Explorer five.0	Windows 98 Windows NT iv.0 Windows 95
Microsoft Media Player five.1	2001	Windows XP (subconscious)	N/A
Media Thespian 5.0	1999	Windows 2000 (hidden)	Due north/A
Media Role player 4.9	2000	Windows ME (hidden)	N/A
Media Player 4.1	1998	Windows 98 Windows 98 SE (hidden)	N/A
Media Player 4.0	1995	Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0	N/A
Media Player 3.51	1995	Windows NT three.51	Due north/A
Media Player iii.five	1994	Windows NT 3.5	N/A
Media Player iii.15	1992	N/A	Windows 3.1 with Video for Windows
Media Player 3.i	1992	Windows 3.1 Windows NT 3.1	Due north/A
Media Thespian 3.0	1991	N/A	Windows three.0 with Multimedia Extension
Windows Mobile
Windows Media Player 10.iii Mobile	February 12, 2007 (Windows Mobile 6)	Windows Mobile 6.one Windows Mobile 6	Windows Mobile 5.0
Windows Media Histrion 10.2 Mobile	?	Windows Mobile 5.0	N/A
Windows Media Player 10.ane Mobile	May 10, 2005	Windows Mobile 5.0	North/A
Windows Media Player 10 Mobile	October 12, 2004	Windows Mobile 2003 SE	N/A
Windows Media Role player nine.0.1	March 24, 2004	Windows Mobile 2003 SE	Northward/A
Windows Media Player 9 Serial	June 23, 2003	Windows Mobile 2003	Northward/A
Windows Media Histrion eight.5	October 11, 2002	Pocket PC 2002	N/A
Windows Media Thespian eight.01	July 2002	Pocket PC 2002	North/A
Windows Media Role player 8	October 4, 2001 (Pocket PC)	Pocket PC 2002 Smartphone 2002	N/A
Windows Media Player 7.1	May 21, 2001	Pocket PC 2000	N/A
Windows Media Player 7	December 12, 2000	Pocket PC 2000	N/A
Windows Media Histrion 1.2	September 7, 2000	Handheld PC 2000	N/A
Windows Media Player ane.1	?	Palm-size PC CE two.xi	N/A
Windows Media Role player	Apr 19, 2000	Pocket PC 2000	Northward/A
Mac
Windows Media Role player 9 Serial	November seven, 2003	Due north/A	Mac Bone Ten
Windows Media Player 7	July 24, 2001	Mac Os nine	Mac OS 8.x
Windows Media Player 6.iii	July 17, 2000	Mac OS viii	Mac OS 7.x
Solaris
Windows Media Actor 6.3	July 17, 2000	Due north/A	Solaris

See besides [edit]

Comparing of media players
Comparison of video histrion software
Groove Music
Media Player Classic, a media player that mimics the advent of Windows Media Player six.4
Media Transfer Protocol
Windows Media Encoder
Windows Media Services

Footnotes [edit]

^ Except for "Due north" and "KN" editions of Windows, as well every bit Windows RT
^ N and KN versions of Windows seven do not include Windows Media Player by default.^[1]
^ Windows Media Role player six.four was shipped side-by-side with later versions of WMP in Windows ME and Windows XP

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External links [edit]

Official website
The Vintage Windows Media Player
wmplugins.com - The place to detect and share plug-ins, skins and visualizations.